May 19, 2015

Fighting Chevron in Washington DC

In late April, we, along with three other members of the
Young Communist League of Canada, had the honour of attending a historic event
in Washington DC. We were part of a caravan of buses leaving from Ontario to
attend a rally and conference in solidarity with indigenous peoples in Ecuador
fighting the oil giant Chevron.

The place and time of the solidarity events were chosen by
Chevron. The corporation has been trying to avoid paying for one of the worst
environmental disasters in history, that it created by dumping billions of
gallons of toxic sludge in the Ecuadorean Amazon. In 2011, it was ordered to
pay $9.5 billion dollars to clean up the mess. Chevron has yet to pay up. There
is an ongoing case in Canada where the indigenous plaintiffs could receive justice
through assets in Canada. What brought us to Washington, the heart of the
leading imperialist power, was the result one of Chevron’s latest dirty tricks
it is using to avoid cleaning up its mess. It has decided to take Ecuador to
court through the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of
Investment Disputes.

Chevron is trying to use this closed tribunal, built on
imperialist principles, to wiggle out of paying its debt. To combat this
maneuver the "Committee in Solidarity with the Affected Communities by Chevron
in Canada" joined activists from the U.S. outside the World Bank headquarters on
April 21st.

What made this solidarity action historic was the meeting of
indigenous peoples from North, Central and South America. From the North, over 100
people from the Haudenosaunee communities located in Ontario travelled for more
than 12 hours to stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers from the
South. From Central America, Dr. Rigoberta Menchú, the renowned Mayan leader
from Guatemala and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke strongly at both the rally
and the conference. Over a thousand other people, many of whom are South
American, including indigenous peoples, also made long journeys to add their
voices to the chants of “Justice for Ecuador!”.

The events were very powerful to the participants due to
both the justness of the cause and because of the existence of the Eagle and
the Condor Prophecy. This is a shared prophecy that foretells the coming
together of indigenous peoples from North and South America. The indigenous
speakers stressed the importance of unity in the face of a common enemy;
corporations and their governments.

In her keynote address Menchú outlined the goals of the
campaign:

“…I want to greet the indigenous people from the Amazon that
have suffered from the ecocide committed by Chevron. Greetings to the First
Nations of Canada. They know what destruction means, and I want to give a big
hug, to the brothers and sisters of the First Nations of Canada. We want to
greet all the indigenous cultures that are here. We have to say that we have to
protect our mother, our mother earth, and that any offence against our mother
means that we are affecting life. The offence made against mother earth, is an
offense against all life, including each one of our lives. That is why we are
here.

We are witnesses of the destruction made to the Amazon in
Ecuador. Chevron during many years has polluted the rivers, the waters, the
plants, and taken many lives. This is a struggle against Chevron, and Chevron
has to compensate, or pay back the people who have been affected in the Amazon.
We are witnesses to the damages caused to the Amazon region in Ecuador. We are
witness that there are many people that are sick, that have many illnesses. We
know that we have seen the “dirty hand”. You can see it and you can prove for
yourself what happens in the Amazon. You go to the Amazon and you put your hand
into the land, into the earth, your hand will come out black with oil, with all
the toxic waste that is found in the Amazon.
That’s why we have come here to demand justice. We speak on behalf of
the peoples that are the real victims.

Now Chevron wants to become the victim after it destroyed
mother earth and took out all the resources. It’s not possible for humanity to
be deceived by this double standard for a company. That is why we demand
justice. We cannot let Chevron go unpunished, also for the acts that it has
[committed] against the sovereignty of Ecuador. This is not the first time I
have heard about the crimes that Chevron has committed. I have heard the same
story in many indigenous communities all around the world. And so that’s why we
are here: so there can never again be ecocide crimes going unpunished. I’m sure
that all of you have the same information that I have. And I am sure that we
are here because we are convinced, that Chevron must compensate and pay for the
damages caused. And also because we are convinced that they want to turn
justice around. And we are not going to allow that.”

For more background on the history of the campaign check out
these other Rebel Youth articles: